Maple Walnut Vinegar Pie

 

 

Maple Walnut Vinegar Pie.  I was having my daughter and her husband over for dinner the other night and I wanted to make it a really nice meal.  

My son in law does have rather simple tastes. So we just had meatloaf, mac & cheese, salad and then I baked this fabulous pie for dessert!

I had to be really careful when it came to what I cooked because I wanted to make sure that Tim would eat it. He is quite fussy when it comes to food.

 

 

I baked my traditional meatloaf.  He had two helpings.  I call that a win!  He also had two helpings of my mac and cheese.   I also considered that to be a win.

He passed on the salad, but ate the canned niblets corn I served. You can't win them all. He also passed on this pie and had some ice cream and a donut in its place.

 

That's okay.  As my daughter so rightly said, "More for me!"  I concurred.  Its a shame he wouldn't try it because he was losing out on a really delicious pie! 

Maple Walnut Vinegar Pie is a Canadian twist on the American Pecan Pie.  Maple and walnuts are naturally a brilliant flavor combination, and one that my family just loves!

But just what is a vinegar pie and why vinegar?

 

Please don't be put off by the mention of vinegar in this pie.  Vinegar, or for that matter, lemon juice, is often used in piece to take the edge off of a super sweet filling.

You barely even notice the vinegar flavor. I strongly suspect it was added back when lemons were not often available and considered to be a bit of a luxury.  

 

Quite an inventive solution to what was probably a very real problem. In fact you will historically  find pie recipes  that use nothing but vinegar. 

 

This is a prime example of one such a pie.  I can well imagine that it was very delicious.  I am going to seek out a recipe in one of my old cookbooks and bake one some day just to see.

I have a very old Quaker cookbook as well as an old French Canadian Cookbook.  Watch this space!

 

In any case this pie does use apple cider vinegar, but don't be put off by it. It is barely discernable and helps what would normally be a super sweet pie, from going over the top.

In short, this is one very delicious pie! 

 

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE MAPLE WALNUT VINEGAR PIE

I am guessing with perhaps the exception of the walnuts, you probably have everything in your house to make this delicious pie right now, and, if you are like me, you will probably have the walnuts too! 

• one unbaked single pie crust (I use my butter lard pastry recipe. Just freeze one crust for another time.)
• Large free range eggs
• Granulated sugar
• Orange juice 
• Apple cider vinegar
• Maple syrup
• Butter
• salt
• Chopped Walnuts

I didn't have any orange juice on this day, true confession. I used some apple juice in it's place, thinking that it would work well, and it did.

 

HOW TO MAKE MAPLE WALNUT VINEGAR PIE

This is a very simple pie to make and there is no reason you cannot have success with it if you follow my instructions and tips!

You will need an unbaked single crust pie shell. I always like to prebake my single crusts for a few minutes if I am going to be using a really wet filling such as this one.  

Its very easily done. Just pop it onto a baking sheet and then into a moderate oven for about 8 to 10 minutes, no longer.  This just helps to prevent a soggy bottom, and you know none of us wants a pie with a soggy bottom!

 

Once you have done that you can scatter the toasted chopped walnuts across the bottom of the pie shell. There are plenty of them. (If you are only now just toasting them, make sure you cool them off a bit.)

You will need to gently warm the maple syrup with the butter to melt the butter. Do this first and then it will be cooled down sufficiently when it comes time to add it to the remaining ingredients.

Whisk the eggs, egg yolk, sugar, orange juice and vinegar together in a  large bowl. You want everything to be well blended.  Then slowly whisk in the maple syrup/butter mixture.  Again, until everything is well blended.

You are then ready to pour this mixture carefully over the walnuts in the pie crust.  Try not to dislodge the walnuts too much, but if you do, then you can gently rake them into place with a fork.

 

TOP TIP!  When you are dealing with a pie with a soupy filling such as this one, do the final assembly very near to the oven. It also helps to have the pastry base/pie plate on a baking sheet which makes it much easier to get it into the oven.

This helps to prevent a lot of sloshing about!  If you are near the oven when you go to pour the filling in the dish, and you have it on a baking sheet, you can prevent yourself from making a huge mess in the kitchen. 

Once you have the filling in the pie, it is as simple as popping the pie into the oven and baking it. I turn it around halfway through the bake time (180*).

It is finished when the crust edges and filling are both golden brown along.  The filling will also be slightly puffy and it will barely jiggle if you give the pie a gentle nudge to check.

Take it out of the oven and place the pie on a wire rack to cool completely before eating. The filling will sink a tiny bit and not be so puffed once it is cold.  

You can either chill this and serve it cold from the refrigerator, or you can serve it at room temperature.

We enjoyed this at room temperature with some refrigerated whipped cream squirted on top. It went down a real treat. This is a really special pie, with a beautiful maple walnut flavor. 

It would be the perfect addition to any special or holiday meal!  You really don't want to miss out on this one!

Maple Walnut Vinegar Pie

Yield: 8 - 10

Author: Marie Rayner

Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 45 MinTotal time: 1 Hour

This delicious pie is the Canadian cousin to Pecan Pie. Equally as delicious!

Ingredients

You will need:

• One single crust unbaked pie shell (I like to use my Butter/Lard pastry, scroll down to near the bottom of linked page for the recipe.)

For the filling:

• 3 large free range eggs, plus one egg yolk (freeze the white for another use)
• 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup (60ml) orange juice
• 2 TBS apple cider vinegar
• 3/4 cup (180ml) pure maple syrup
• 4 TBS butter, cut into smaller bits
• pinch salt
• 1 1/4 cups (150g) chopped toasted walnuts

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4.  Line a 9-inch pie dish with your pastry. Flute or crimp the edges, prick and partially bake for 10 minutes. (Have it on  baking sheet, and leave it on the baking sheet.)
2. Scatter the toasted walnut pieces in the bottom of your pie crust.
3. Gently warm the maple syrup with the butter, just until the butter melts. Set aside.
4. Whisk the eggs, egg yolk, sugar, orange juice, salt and vinegar together in a bowl until well blended.  Whisk in the maple syrup/butter mixture, again until well blended.  
5. Carefully pour this mixture over the walnuts in the pie crust, taking care not to dislodge the nuts as much as possible.
6. Bake the pie on the baking sheet, in the middle of your oven, for 40 to 45 minutes, until golden brown and slightly puffy.  Rotate the pie halfway through the bake time. (180*)
7. The pie is done when the filling is set.  Give the pie a gentle nudge to check. There should ebe no discernable wobble. Transfer to a wire rack and allow to cool completely.  
8. Serve slightly chilled or at room temperature, cut into wedges. with some whipped cream or vanilla ice cream on top.

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